Review by Booklist Review
In a welcome wave of picture-book biographies about forgotten women artists comes this Swedish import about Hilma af Klint. While the text employs a traditional format--noting Klint's childhood in Sweden, artistic influences, career path, and various ups and downs--the story itself is more unusual. After the death of her younger sister, Klint became fascinated by mysticism and the spirit world, even collaborating with a secret society of friends called The Five. Her paintings increasingly reflected this interest, progressing from photorealistic portraits and landscapes to abstract colors, shapes, and symbols. While Wassily Kandinsky is often credited as the first abstract artist, the author contends that Klint's abstract paintings predate his by several years. This part of her story is typical, unfortunately, as the author recounts how women were often dismissed in formal art programs and Klint was snubbed by prominent critic Rudolph Steiner. Pale, mixed-media, and occasionally otherworldly illustrations fittingly reflect Klint's story and allow reproductions of her artwork to take the spotlight. An intriguing tribute to this once-misunderstood and overlooked pioneer.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The creators provide an in-depth examination of the work of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (1862--1944) in this probing picture book introduction. Novelistic episodes by Hillström demonstrate Af Klint's fascination with the spiritual during an era when scientists, from Edison to Einstein, were showing how "the world is filled with invisible waves." During a séance, Af Klint is called to illustrate "the invisible world" of the spirits. She dedicates her life to the task, making more than 1,000 paintings, not to be revealed until 20 years after her death. "The spirits told her which signs and symbols to paint.... But what did it all mean? Even Hilma herself didn't know." Contextualizing boxes, as well as cameos of Wassily Kandinsky and Rudolf Steiner, situate Af Klint in relation to spiritualism, theosophy, and abstract art's origins. Against plain white backgrounds, Eklund's delicate drawings capture the subject, outlined in red, at work, while reproductions of her paintings provide a glimpse into her enigmatic art. Ages 8--12. (Feb.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--6--Unlike biographies that drily outline the birth, work, and death of their subjects, this exploration of Hilma af Klint couldn't be more different. It's a wild ride, challenging belief and opening new avenues of thought. A fantastic introduction immediately pulls readers into the story, making them yearn to discover more about this spiritual, artistic young woman. The story is driven forward with a narrative thrust of perseverance despite struggle. Sensory, atmospheric descriptions of her life and work, both as artist and spiritualist, are echoed in the illustrations--simple Scandinavian lines worked with color and shading to give the scenes depth. There are also intriguing comparisons of the scientific discoveries of Hilma's era (sound and light waves) with her embrace of spiritualism. The science seems so magical and intangible, why couldn't there be spirits in this invisible world as well? Beside the main story there are also good asides for descriptions of theosophy and alchemy, along with breakdowns of her artistic symbols. The inclusion of her abstract spirit paintings, as well as how the leading artists and spiritualists ignored her contributions, gives scope and depth to her story. VERDICT This is a welcome and riveting tale of an often overlooked artist, interesting enough to engage any age, from elementary to high school.--Cat McCarrey
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
This Swedish import introduces young readers to a long-obscure spiritualist painter who has only recently been recognized as a pioneering abstract artist. In language that underscores the mystical character of Hilma's art ("According to the positions of the stars and planets on the day that she was born, Hilma's life would be filled with magic and mystery"), Hillström traces her Swedish subject's nearly lifelong devotion to spiritualism and theosophy, which led her to create nonrepresentational "maps of the spirit world" in paint well before (the author notes) Wassily Kandinsky proudly proclaimed himself the inventor of abstraction. As she was repeatedly brushed off by leading theosophist Rudolph Steiner and, just before dying in 1944, directed that her work be packed away, not to be looked at until 20 years after her death, she long remained little known. But Eklund's appropriately pale, ghostly scenes of an otherworldly figure practicing her art or gazing intensely inward are interspersed with 15 reproductions of actual works (several with descriptive commentary), an interpretive chart of select symbols and colors in af Klint's art, and a tantalizing suggestion that viewers may find meanings of their own in their mysterious shapes and spaces. Human figures have skin the white of the page. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Focused less on this world than the other but a significant contribution to the history of women artists. (Picture-book biography. 8-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
